Davis hints that he might leave early

Georgia coach Mark Richt expects to speak with a handful of underclassmen during the Bulldogs' open date next week to gauge if they are considering entering the NFL draft after this season.

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All-SEC junior safety Thomas Davis said this week he is leaning toward giving up his final year of eligibility to enter the draft.

"I would definitely say that it would be more go than stay right now because of the situation that I'm in," Davis said. "Knowing that I have a son that I have to take care of."

Davis said the 11-month-old child lives with his mother in Gwinnett County.

Davis, who leads the Bulldogs with 62 tackles, spoke last month about a scenario under which he would leave Georgia.

"In order for me to leave, I'd have to feel pretty confident that I was a first-rounder," Davis said. "Anything less than that is just unacceptable to me."

Junior offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles also is considering entering the draft. Linebacker Odell Thurman is another player who could leave after his junior season.

Richt said coaches used to be able to wait until after a bowl game to discuss the issue with underclassmen.

"If you wait until after the bowl and we're off recruiting, then they're being recruited themselves by agents," Richt said. "It's not a good time to be trying to salvage something by talking to a guy on the phone. We'll talk and see where everybody's at."